The Duma speaker noted that he is glad his meetings with PA OSCE Secretary General Ilkka Kanerva have now become regular

Speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament Sergey Naryshkin

ULAN BATOR, September 16. /TASS/. Russian State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin has confirmed Russian delegation’s plans to actively participate in the sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (PA OSCE) in Vienna and Tbilisi in 2016.

"I confirmed the plans of the Russian delegation to actively participate in the upcoming session of the Parliamentary Assembly that will take place in Vienna first, and in summer - in Tbilisi," Naryshkin told journalists after a meeting with PA OSCE Secretary General Ilkka Kanerva.

The Duma speaker noted that he is glad his meetings with Kanerva have now become regular.

Sergey Naryshkin has discussed with Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (PA OSCE) Secretary General Ilkka Kanerva PA’s possible contribution to settling the crisis in Ukraine.

"We talked with Mr Kanerva about the steps that the Parliamentary Assembly can take to contribute to the settlement of the deepest social and political crisis in Ukraine and restoration of peace in this country brotherly for us," Naryshkin told journalists. The Duma speaker said he regretted that "the inter-parliamentary group on ties with Ukraine established on the initiative of the Russian delegation was not able to start working because of Ukrainian delegation’s non-constructive position."

"We discussed with Mr Kanerva today other possibilities, other steps that the Parliamentary Assembly can take," Naryshkin noted.

On July 1, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said that Naryshkin will be denied entry to Finland to participate in the PA OSCE session in Helsinki on July 5-9. The decision was explained by the fact that the State Duma speaker was included in EU’s "blacklist" of sanctioned officials.

Naryshkin later announced that the Russian delegation as a whole will not participate in the PA OSCE session in Helsinki, where it planned to put forward draft resolutions on impermissibility of sanctions against parliamentarians and countering Nazism rehabilitation. However, the Duma speaker confirmed that Russia plans to participate in the next PA OSCE session in Mongolia’s capital Ulan Bator. The PA OSCE session in Ulan Bator takes place on September 15-18.

PA OSCE doing everything possible for sanctions to be lifted

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (PA OSCE) is doing everything possible to lift sanctions that prevent delegations from participating in its sessions, PA OSCE Secretary General Ilkka Kanerva said on Wednesday.

"I made it clear that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is doing everything possible to create such conditions that allow us to get rid of any sanctions or restrictions for any delegations to participate in the work of the Assembly," Kanerva said after a meeting with Sergey Naryshkin. Kanerva said it is very important "that the Russian delegation could contribute to the work of PA OSCE."

Russia remains one of Europe’s key partners, Kanerva said. "It is absolutely clear that we need Russia, that Russia is one of the key partners for us in Europe," Kanerva said after a meeting with Russian State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin.

"Finland and Russia were good friends historically, and it is absolutely clear for us that we will continue to try maintaining close and good relations with Russia," he stressed.

Naryshkin has said earlier he hopes that PA OSCE will soon adopt the resolution prohibiting sanctions against parliamentarians. "I submitted a draft resolution to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly that prohibits any sanctions against parliamentarians. I hope that the resolution will be considered in the nearest future and adopted by PA OSCE," Naryshkin told journalists after a meeting Kanerva.

The Duma speaker reminded that "actions of the EU and Finnish officials prevented the Russian delegation from participating in the anniversary session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Helsinki" in July. The similar situation happened in New York, when the US administration "deterred the Russian delegation led by Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko from participating in the conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union," he added.

"We assess it as impermissible actions, an attack on the values of parliamentary democracy, and it should not be repeated - this demonstration of political impudence and ignoring of principles of open international dialogue," Naryshkin stressed.